Southern Ming: A boy soldier at the beginning, supporting the world

Chapter 378 The Fourth Infantry Regiment

The peasant uprising in the late Ming Dynasty broke out in northern Shaanxi. Most of the leaders, such as Li Zicheng and Zhang Xianzhong, had served in the Shaanxi frontier army. Shaanxi was originally an important border town, and with the peasant uprising, Shaanxi-born generals became prominent.

Why could Sun Kewang be called the ruler of Qin? And why did he intend to usurp the throne?
Yuan Zongdi's seniority in the Dashun Army was roughly equivalent to Sun Kewang's seniority in the Dashi Army. However, before the migration to the south, the Dashun Army was much stronger than the Dashi Army, and Yuan Zongdi was much more active on the battlefield than Sun Kewang, and his reputation was much louder than Sun Kewang.

The Dashun Army and the Dashi Army have had a long-standing feud. If Sun Kewang dared to proclaim himself emperor, the Dashun Army would definitely not agree.

Yang Wu argued: "Before the old emperor passed away..."

Liu Tichun retorted: "What old long live! We have all accepted the imperial decree and obeyed the Ming Dynasty. What old long live do you have in Xiying?"

Although Yang Wu had the courage to attend the Hongmen Banquet, he was alone after all and did not dare to refute Liu Tichun. He said: "Before the death of the King of Daxi, he left a will saying, 'The three hundred years of the Ming Dynasty may not end suddenly, and it is also God's will.' Therefore, Sun Gong accepted the title of Emperor Yongli, called the Lord of Qin, and unified and controlled the civil and military officials of Daxi..."

Li Dingguo felt that he was in a difficult position, so he didn't say much at the banquet. Yang Wu was Sun Kewang's confidant, and his arrogant words made people quite unhappy. Li Dingguo tapped the table with his hand, snorted coldly, interrupted Yang Wu's words, and said:

"Back then, Chen Bangfu sent Hu Zhigong to meet Sun Kewang. The edict was eccentric and unruly, and was undoubtedly a fake. I and the Southern Palace both advised Kewang not to accept the title and wait and see what the court would do. Kewang thought he had a good plan, and accepted the title even though he knew it was a fake, and was humiliated. He still hasn't realized it, and he claims to be the ruler of Qin with a fake edict and fake seal, making the world laugh at him."

Li Dingguo was the person involved, and his words were convincing enough to prove that the King of Qin was a fake.

In fact, the matter had already been exposed. The Yongli court sent envoys three times to confer the title of "King of Ping Liao" on Sun Kewang. Sun Kewang refused to accept the title and still regarded himself as the ruler of Qin, issuing orders with the gold-plated silver seal forged by Chen Bangfu.

Ma Bao admired Li Dingguo very much and said, "Xietai won a great victory in Hengzhou and killed Nikan in battle, which inspired the whole Hunan area. Sun Kewang did not think of counterattacking, but instead plotted against Xietai and ruined the good situation in Hunan. I heard that he was planning to establish a country and become emperor?"

Cen Dan initially recruited Li Dingguo, which seemed like he was taking advantage of someone's misfortune. Li Dingguo was originally ashamed to serve as the Red Army's assistant commander, but when he saw that the Red Army was well-trained and well-armed, and even better than the previous army, he felt relieved.

As a general under Sun Kewang, Yang Wu did not oppose Sun Kewang's founding of a country and becoming emperor. He was also a bandit, and like most peasant army generals, he had a simple patriotic sentiment. As long as Sun Kewang did not surrender to the Qing Dynasty, who cares if he is the ruler of Qin or the emperor of the later Ming Dynasty?
Yang Wu was reluctant to say more because of the respect for the emperor. Li Dingguo directly exposed his ugliness and said:
"When Sun Kewang was stationed in Qingyuan, he saw a big tree by the Ziyang River and named it the 'Tree King'. He carved 'Year Guisi Qin State Lord' on the trunk and did not use the Yongli reign title. He had long disregarded the imperial court. He originally thought that after defeating Tunqi, he could recover Hunan and, with the power of victory, establish the title of emperor.

"The generals and the staff of the imperial army have already discussed the name of the country in advance, which is called 'Later Ming'. This is because the late king left a will, asking Sun Kewang to be loyal to the Ming Dynasty. Yang Wu, don't you know this? If you are really loyal to the late king, would you watch Sun Kewang usurp the Ming Dynasty?"

Yang Wu's words were clumsy. Seeing that everyone at the table was hostile, he quickly changed his words and said, "Xie Tai is absolutely right. I was rewarded by the previous king, and I must follow his teachings. If I dare to betray the Ming Dynasty, I will be struck by lightning."

"Okay, okay, okay!" Danchu raised his glass to invite him to drink, easing the awkward situation. He then said with a smile, "Sun Kewang has evil intentions and is definitely not a worthy leader. Yang Wu, you are a loyal and brave man. If you are willing to submit to the Red Army, you can be appointed as a general and be under Dingguo's command."

Yang Wu was horrified, but he did not dare to refuse outright, so he said: "Thank you, Lord, for your kindness. I am not worthy of your kindness..."

"No problem, no problem," Danchu continued with a smile, "You are attending the alliance today to give face to our clan. We also have some small gifts, please take them back and enjoy them."

Dan Chu clapped his hands, and the guards brought him a Dinglu rifle with a bayonet and a pistol.

Yang Wu had long wanted to get a Dinglu rifle, but was afraid that Sun Kewang would become suspicious and blame him, so he hesitated and did not accept it immediately.

"Why, you don't even want to accept the king's gift?" Ma Bao pressed.

Yang Wu had no choice but to take the gun. It felt heavy and he felt excited yet uneasy.

"You have seen the Red Army's review today, which is enough to show the might of our army. After you go back, you may as well spread the truth. You can also tell the generals in the West Camp that anyone who is willing to submit to the Red Army will be happy to be accepted by our clan. If he is not satisfied in the West Camp in the future, he can return at any time. Our clan welcomes him at any time." Danchu said it calmly, but Yang Wu's forehead was sweating after hearing it, and Ma Bao and others also wanted to laugh. If this word reached Sun Kewang's ears, I really don't know whether he would be furious or angry.

In front of everyone, Danchu also gave them a reassurance and said, "This clan has decided to add a fourth infantry regiment to the Red Army, which will have the 10th, 11th, and 12th infantry brigades, and a direct cavalry regiment."

Everyone held their breath, but Danchu continued to announce: "The commander of the fourth town will be Xuan Guogong Jiao Lian."

Jiao Lian was pleasantly surprised. He quickly stood up, bowed to Dan Chu, and said, "Thank you, Lord."

Danchu smiled at him and nodded slightly.

Li Dingguo was appointed as the deputy commander of the town to elevate his status and reduce his sense of loss. Li Dingguo continued to serve as the commander of the 10th Brigade, and the old troops of the Dashi Army were completely reorganized according to the Red Army.

Ma Jinzhong was appointed as the commander of the 11th Brigade, and his old subordinates only had 5,000 soldiers. Another meritorious general, Zhang Guangcui, was under Ma Jinzhong's command and served as the commander of the battalion. The rest of the soldiers were recruited from prisoners.

The commander of the 12th Brigade was Liu Fangliang. Liu Fangliang was also a general of the Dashun Army. He surrendered to the Red Army earlier and had made great achievements in the war. The troops of the 12th Brigade were mainly former members of the Kuidong Dashun Army. Liu Tichun and Yuan Zongdi were initially appointed as the commanders.

The composition of the Fourth Regiment was complex, and the commander Jiao Lian had a special status. For this reason, Cen Danchu recruited capable directors of teaching and camp affairs from the entire army so that the Fourth Regiment could form combat effectiveness as soon as possible.

After the banquet, Cen Danchu, already drunk, returned to the camp surrounded by guards. Just as he was about to wash up and go to bed, Jiao Lian came to see him. He came to thank him, but Danchu was his junior, so Jiao Lian was somewhat unable to say anything.

Who could have imagined that in less than six years, Cen Danchu had gone from being a boy soldier in Jiao Lian's army to becoming the ruler of Nanyue? Jiao Lian's army was defeated and dispersed, and he had to be conferred an imperial title by Danchu before he could regain control of the military power.

Dan Chu was drunk, and he suddenly knelt on one knee and gave Jiao Lian a standard military salute.

Jiao Lian was so frightened that he quickly helped him up and said, "My Lord, get up quickly! I came here to thank you. How can you be so polite?"

Danchu spoke very sincerely, "If it weren't for your kindness in raising me, how could I be where I am today? We are nominally superior and inferior, but in reality we are like father and son. With your talent, you should have been in charge of the military power and be able to handle things on your own. It's just that..."

Jiao Lian's eyes turned red, and he interrupted Dan Chu and said, "I know, I know, you have your difficulties. I am already satisfied that I can serve as the commander of the infantry."

"I've always felt guilty about my second sister..." Danchu sighed, unable to hold back.

The second sister is Jiao Lian's second child, and married Chen Bangfu's second son. When Cen Danchu got rid of Chen Bangfu, in order to root out the problem, he also killed Chen Bangfu's second son and grandson. The second sister lost her husband and son, and she is still depressed and resentful of Cen Danchu.

Jiao Lian interrupted him and said, "Chen Bangfu deserves his punishment. The king must root out the traitors for the sake of the country. As for my daughter, I will persuade her later and find a good family for her."

Since he was already the commander of the infantry garrison, such a small matter as marriage would not be a problem. Jiao Lian was also a little drunk, and spoke his mind, saying, "Zhuoru, I am also very happy that you have achieved what you have today. No matter what happens in the future, I will be loyal to my duties, help you make achievements, and lead the Fourth Garrison into a powerful force."

Danchu was relieved and felt a lot more relaxed. He said, "Li Dingguo, Ma Jinzhong, and Liu Fangliang are all brave generals. Only you can control these three. Fortunately, these three people are simple and honest, and they don't have any bad intentions. If we treat them with sincerity, they will be happy to join us."

Treat people with sincerity? Jiao Lian's heart moved, and he said, "Yes, yes."

(End of this chapter)